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Thursday, December 21, 2017

Happy
Holidays, everyone! Here's a little Winter Solstice 2017 present for all of you, set in the Ever After universe, but this time with Phoebe's big sister, Trixie :)

I filled it with ice skating and cocoa and even some Phoebe bookishness as Trixie has a little winter break adventure of her own. Hop on over to here to read the full story, and enjoy the little excerpt below!

“I bumped into Luke at the
Promenade yesterday,” I said in the general direction of my phone while trying
to pin the roll of white faux fur in place. I’d kicked Phoebe out of our room
to work on her Christmas present, and between my shaking hands and the fiddly
silk velvet I’d picked up from a bargain bin in a basement shop in the Garment
district, I was starting to think I was never going to finish. My hand slipped
and I pricked myself with a pin. “Crud.”

“That…
sucks.” I could practically hear Amani cringing over the phone. “Did he say
anything?”

I stuck
my finger in my mouth and inspected the fur to make sure I hadn’t gotten any
blood on it. “He introduced me to his new girlfriend.”

“Of
course, because he’s a jerk. You know, the offer I made on Thanksgiving to make
you a dartboard is still open. My new printer can even do a high res print of
his face.”

“He’s not
worth wasting your ink,” I said, breaking into my first genuine laugh that day.

“It would
be for a good cause. Does your sister want a blow-up of his face for her
archery target thing?”

“Don’t encourage her.” Feebs would
probably jump at a Luke-target, then complain about how it dulled her arrows or
something. “Honestly, it wouldn’t have been so bad if he hadn’t been so smug about introducing her, as if I’d been the one who broke up with him.” I took my frustration out by
slamming a pin particularly hard into my pincushion. “’Oh, Beatrix, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Zane. She’s a fine arts major, like me.’” I
disconnected the presser foot of my sewing machine with so much force the
machine actually shook. “As if fashion design isn’t ‘real’ art.”

“You’re
going to break your sewing machine,” Amani pointed out, then said, “Luke was
always a jerk, but you were too into bad boy artist types to listen to the rest
of us.”

“Rub it
in.” I tossed the old presser foot into my sewing machine table drawer with a
thunk.

“You know
he’s wrong about the fashion design thing, right? Just like he’s been wrong
about practically everything ever.”

“I know,
but…” I took a minute to think as a I stared at my presser foot options. “It’s
not really that, he just said it to hurt me. It’s—” I hesitated, then dived
right in, “—it’s just that I thought I was over all this and it wouldn’t bother
me so much.”

She made
a tsking sound on the other end of the line. “It was only a month ago, Trix.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Look, I’m going with a few of my classmates from
Rowan to the RiverRink tonight, you really should come.”

“I’m not
going to crash your group.” I clicked on a more velvet-friendly presser foot
and dropped into my chair. “Could you imagine how needy I’ll look? Hi, I’m just
Amani’s dork friend from high school who needs cheering up because of her jerk
ex.”

“You are not a dork. You are my super-cool elite
fashion designer-to-be friend who is home for the holidays from New York City.
And I really want you to come, I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Umm, I
saw you during Thanksgiving break?” I lined up the edge of the cape and
faux-fur under the needle and dropped the presser foot, cringing at how high it
sat on the thick fabric and praying it would still feed. Phoebe was going to
get an exact replica of the cape Belle wore with her pink dress in Beauty and the Beast even if it killed
my machine.

“Thanksgiving
doesn’t count because you spent half of it in Boston and the other half crying
into leftovers. C’mon, Trix. My friends are cool and you need this.”

I poised
my foot over the machine pedal and pouted at my phone. She was right, as always.
“Fine, what time?”

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Before the BEA17 information, I wanted to remind everyone that the Annotated ARC (advanced reader copy) tumblr giveaway of Dramatically Ever After for US, Canada, and Mexico ends today-- hurry on over to Spencer Hill Press' tumblr to enter!

And now for the Book Expo America 2017 schedule. If you're at BEA on Friday, join me at 12:15 in Spencer Hill Press' booth (2539) for an in-booth DEA launch party! There will be snacks, swag, and I hear there might be some great giveaways ;)

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Hi Everyone!!! We're less than a month away and I have a preorder gift for US readers (as always, I will send bookplates and bookmarks nationally and internationally at any time... yay, flat mail... and Portuguese readers, see below)... shiny Ever After magnets! (they're so pretty, I had to make a video)

I will add this to my website soon, but I wanted to get this information out to all of you in case you already preordered or if you were thinking of preordering Dramatically Ever After.

US and Portugal only (sorry, but I will have some fun international giveaways around launch for everyone else)

How: Send proof of preorder for an ebook of DEA or physical book DEA (with financial, etc info scratched out, of course) and your mailing address to isabel@isabelbandeira.com with "DEA Preorder" in the subject before Midnight PST on June 5, 2017

For Portuguese readers: Since I will be in Portugal not too long after DEA's launch, you can do the same with "PORTUGAL DEA Preorder" in the title and I will send you yours when I'm there and can send domestic mail :) (beijinhos!!!)

Also, in case you didn't know, there's still a US and Canada giveaway going on for a signed advanced reader copy of DEA going on until Sunday on Goodreads. Go on over and enter! SHP will also have a Tumblr giveaway up this week for an ANNOTATED advanced copy of Dramatically Ever After, so keep an eye on our tumblrs and my other social media for info on how to enter that!

Thursday, March 16, 2017

I have my Advanced Reader Copies and read an excerpt from Dramatically Ever After. (Plus, my Hello Kitty pants make a cameo in this video).

For a chance to win an ARC (US and Canada only this time, sorry!!!), leave a comment about your mist dramatic moment here or on the twitter/tumblr/youtube post for this video before next Friday, March 24, 2017. I'll randomly select one commenter from all of the combined (here, twitter, tumblr, youtube) comments to get an ARC.

Sunday, March 12, 2017

We're less than 3 months away from Dramatically Ever After (June 6th!!!!) and ARCs will be here soon, so, if you want to catch all the teasers or giveaways, this is a map to how I use all my social media and what you'll find on there:

1. This blog! Obviously, I don't update here much (Blogger seriously needs a better app for blogging on the go), but I will post some teasers or link to teasers here in the lead-up to Dramatically's release.

2. My website: This is the big info landing spot. "Books" will have links and "Extras" has excerpts and new content in the Ever After universe. Events is going to be updated soon with Book Expo America information and launch event information!

3. Tumblr: I usually use this for fanart and fangirling over things like Sailor Moon or Miraculous Ladybug or book posts, and we'll also be using this for some of the longer teaser excerpts, or I'll be reblogging from the Spencer Hill Press tumblr. You can always sort through my tumblr (or SHP's) with the "Bookishly Ever After" or "Dramatically Ever After" tag if you don't want to shuffle through my Miraculous Ladybug Sailor Moon AU fanart. :)

4. Twitter: Random social media dumping ground :) I usually tweet very short teasers on here. This (and the SHP twitter) is a VERY good place to keep an eye out for advanced copy giveaways, etc.

5. Instagram: Instagram is a snapshot of my (randomly goofy) life. Photo/image teaser posts will go on here!

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

It's Yule (Aka the solstice, midwinter, "insert local name here") in the Northern Hemisphere and one of my favorite nights of the year because of the message we humans have attributed to it across cultures and millenia:

Another year and a repeat quote from my paper journal December 21st, 2001 entry: "Tonight is Yule-- the longest night of the year.

Tonight reminds us that even the darkest of nights are followed by light, and that even in the worst of times, we have hope. No night is so dark that day will never follow.

...so long as we have hope, it will never truly be dark."You might not know it, but many of you have been my light in the past, either through your posts, books, comments, texts, or just by being you. You are all incredible. On this solstice, I wish you all lives full of light and hope, as bright as the brightest stars in the sky.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

I've turned in my copyedits for Dramatically Ever After (wheee! and it's up for preorder everywhere, including Target, which censored the word "butt" in the description and made my day last Friday) so I thought I'd celebrate a little post- Bookishly Ever After short scene.

I call these "moments" and they're just little short story snapshots written just for all of you. These will eventually go onto my Extras page, but I'll be randomly posting (non-spoilery) ones here. Enjoy!

Moment: Phoebe, Trixie, and blue dirndls

“This is going
to cost me, isn’t it?”

“When one constantly wants custom outfits from one’s sister, one must
occasionally make sacrifices.”

Phoebe poked at a bolt of satin
and looked over at her sister. Trixie was holding a bolt of soft-looking pink fabric
out at arm’s length, head tilted and lips twisted in thought. “But why did we
have to come into Philly when JoAnn’s is only five minutes from home?”

“That would be like you buying
yarn at a craft store instead of Oh, Knit! or Woolbearers. This,” she said,
petting the fabric before putting it back down and picking up and squinting at
a nearly identical bolt, “is my Manos
del Uruguay.”

The fact that her big sister could rattle off her favorite yarn stores
and yarn brands made Phoebe feel a little guilty about her less than basic
knowledge of all of Trixie’s fabric and sewing-related things. “Okay, I get it.
So, tell me,” she picked up the most obnoxious acid-green bolt of something in
a polyester Trixie wouldn’t touch in a million years and pretended to drape it
around herself, “what are you planning for your latest masterpiece, oh couture
genius?”

The pink fabric went onto Trixie’s pile of fabrics before she swooped over
to a baby blue bolt and unwound about a yard to study the material. She held it
up against her little sister’s arm, tilting her head and squinting a little
bit. “I’m thinking a late fourties-like dirndl style dress with a white blouse
and petticoat.”

“No, a dirndl style like they
had in the fourties and fifties. Basically a fitted bodice, blouse, and full
skirt. No apron,” she added with a quirky grin. “And no oomph if you don’t want
it. But I think it might make a really cute outfit for you to wear to the Beauty and Beast movie opening.”

“And for the fairy-tale inspired outfit portfolio you need to finish by
next month?”

“Maybe for the casual wear section. Two birds, one bolt of fabric,”
Trixie said with a wink, then handed her the bolt of blue material followed by
a super soft white fabric. Tucking the pink bolt under her arm, she headed for
the cutting table. “So, now that we’re set with three new outfits for you,
let’s talk knitting labor. I’ve got three sweaters for you to make with your
knitting magic for my winter collection runway project.”

“Three? Sewing hours do not equal knitting hours, you know.”

Trixie pointed at the blue fabric. “Belle dress.”

Phoebe puffed out her cheeks before letting out a puff of air and nodding
reluctantly. “Fine, but you owe me.”

Sunday, July 31, 2016

As promised, Bookishly hit 50 reviews on a retail site, and I'm SO happy to share the Phoebe at BEA short story that has been burning up my laptop for over a year now!

Click here to go to my Extras page and click on the "Phoebe at BEA" link under "Deleted Scenes and Extra Stories/Drabbles."

(and yes, that section title is all plural because I have a lot of other fun short scenes or deleted scenes to share with all of you over time--all of you who have been wonderful and have read and reviewed BEA have helped to "unlock" my story vault!)

In non-excerpt-y news, Dramatically Ever After's cover and synopsis were revealed last month (you can see the pretty here) and I *think* (whistles innocently) I may be allowed to share an excerpt from DEA later this summer--keep an eye on my twitter or here for when it goes up.

And in non-Ever After series news, I've also been working hard on another fun YA contemporary as well as falling down the fandom wormhole for Miraculous Ladybug, If you haven't watched that cartoon yet, DO IT. Awesome teen female superhero with a magical yo-yo who is totally awkward in her civilian persona. Teen boy sidekick who is a supermodel by day and leather catsuit-wearing, pun-loving dork by night. A love square between these two nerds. And set. in. PARIS. (The Origins episode premieres in the US next Saturday, 6 August and I'm prepping myself for all the umbrella scene feels I've been hearing about from other fans.)